Movie Segments to Assess Grammar Goals contains a series of movie segments and activities to assess or practice grammar points through fun, challenging exercises. Here you will find the movie segments, the lesson plans, printable worksheets with answer key for each activity, and the tips to develop your own grammar activities with the DVDs you have at home. New activities are posted regularly. Teaching grammar with movie segments is inspiring and highly motivating.

Sep 25, 2008

This is a new activity for students to contrast the use of the present perfect and the present continuous tense uses. I hope you enjoy it. The movie is great!

Before watching the segment:

Discuss with a partner the following questions:
1) What's your opinion about gambling? Should it be legalized?
2) Should casinos be allowed to run in your country?
3) Would you bet your money on a game like 21 or poker? Why (not)?
4) What would you do if you won a lot of money gambling? Would you play a litlle more or quit and spend what you won? Why?
5) Should lotteries be prohibited too? Justify it.

Now watch the video segment and fill in the blanks of the exercise with either the present perfect or the present perfect continuous, according to the information presented in the movie segment. If both are possible, use the continuous form. You may use affirmative or negative forms.
Although the narrator is talking about the past, you are to suppose that what you SEE is the present, it's what is happening NOW.
1) The words "winner winner chicken dinner" _____________ (dance) around his head all night.
2) He ____________ (hear) it at least 14 times tonight.
3) He ___________________ (do) anything ilegal.
4) He ___________________ (count) the cards everytime he plays 21.
5) He ______________ (win) more than $640.000,00.
6) He ________________ (win) and _____________ (lose) for years.
7) He _______________ (use) codes to communicate with his partners when they gamble and cheat.How to prepare your own video activity:Assessing: Present Perfect x Present Perfect Continuous

- Select a scene in which the characters haven't finished the activity they were performing in the begining of the scene.
- Prepare a fill in the blanks exercise for students to use the target structures.
- Make sure you select activities that allow you to contrast the verb tenses.

If you like the activity or have suggestions, leave a comment, please. Have fun.

Sep 20, 2008

This is a great scene full of unfortunate happenings. The students will love the segment and have a great opportunity to practice the 3rd conditional, unreal past events, in a contextualized manner. Tell me if you like it by posting a comment, please.

Carrie and Big

Write True or False next to each of the statements below according to the information presented in the movie segment.

4) Big took too long to apologize. ( )
Carrie hit him with her wedding bouquet. ( )

5) Carrie’s friend didn’t let Big explain himself. ( )
Carrie went home in a state of shock. ( )

6) Carrie and Big didn't get married. ( )
They both had a horrible afternoon. ( )

Now fill in the blanks of the sentences saying how things would have been different if the characters had acted differently. Use the 3rd conditional.

Ex:
1) If the little girl hadn't hidden (hide) Carrie's cell phone, she would have received (receive) Big's calls.
2) If Carrie ____________(know) where her phone was, she ___________(receive) Big’s messages.

3) If Big ________________ (be) confident enough to walk into church all by himself, He ______________ (quit) getting married.

4) If Big ________________ (take) too long to apologize, Carrie ____________ (hit) him with the wedding bouquet.

5) If Carrie’s friend ______________ (let) Big explain himself, Carrie _______________ (go) home in a state of shock.
6) If Carrie and Big _______________ (get) married, they ___________________ (go) through a horrible afternoon.

Talk to a partner and discuss the following questions:

1) What would you have done if you were in Carrie’s shoes?

2) Who was right? Why?

3) How could the situation been prevented from happening?

How to prepare your own video activity:- Select a scene in which the characters make wrong decisions with several undesired consequences.

- Prepare a set of sentences for students to write T or F, according to what they see in the segment.

- If all the sentences are true, it will be easier for the students to understand the context and write accurate sentences.

- The first sentence should be the cause and the second one the consequence.

- The students rewrite the sentences using the 3rd conditional.

- Remind the students that the sentences have to make perfect sense.

- Prepare some discussion questions about how they would react to the situations presented in the segment.

Sep 2, 2008

Movie segments can be a fun, less threatening alternative to assess students’ learning of various grammar points, such as reported speech, verb tenses, modal verbs, among others. This blog will provide a number of fun, challenging activities and tips to develop your own tasks.

Teaching grammar is often exhausting and not appealing to students. Teachers usually spend several sessions dealing with the same grammar point. The teacher can certainly provide the students with fun activities to foster learning. However, when it comes to assessing the students’ achievement of a certain grammar point, teachers often rely on traditional, mechanical exercises that help them check whether their lesson goals have been met. These exercises can formally state the grammatical features the teacher wants to test or make sure the students have actually learned. For the student, though, this is a threatening moment that demands concentration, introspection, analysis, and tension. Because he/she has been working with the grammar point for such a long time, they tend to be stressed out for the assessment activities, feedback that is crucial for the teacher to know what features of the lesson still need reinforcement. The teacher can find more exciting and less formal tools to assess the achievement of teaching goals

It is evident that movie segments are extremely attractive to most of the students. Watching a short movie segment is a moment when the students can listen to genuine language in context, plug off from the classroom environment, speculate about possibilities, come up with opinions about a certain topic, and have fun in the classroom. Using video segments to assess the students’ performance can be an enjoyable, attractive, and effective manner to provide the teacher with consistent feedback of the students’ learning.

Why Use Movie Segments to Assess Grammar Goals?

• Students like movie segments• A break from previous grammar sessions• Less threatening than traditional tests• Students use the grammar point based on genuine language• Connection between listening comprehension and grammar practice• Instant feedback• Assessment in a relaxed atmosphere

Tips on How to Prepare an Effective Assessment Tool

• Segment length: from 2 to 7 minutes• Use subtitles in English• Always prepare a written exercise to assess the grammar point• Consider both the content of the segment and the grammar goal• The whole activity should not last longer than 20 to 25 minutes• Peers may work individually or in pairs• Do not let the students do the exercises while they are watching the segment• Make sure the students write down their answers• Provide the students with feedback as well

I simply love this animated movie. Bee Movie is really special, funny and carries a great message for everyone. I use one of the scenes to practice the simple present tense.

Adam

Martin Benson (Dad) and Janet Benson (Mom)

Barry

Check the characters who perform the following activities. Write (B) if it is Barry, (A) if it is Adam, (D) if it is Dad, and (M) if it is Mom.

( B ) wear only black and yellow clothes
( ) comb the hair in the morning
( ) spray honey deodorant every day
( ) serve breakfast
( ) use antennas to communicate
( ) sharpen the stinger
( ) read the newspaper during breakfast
( ) read the newspaper in the street
( ) like flying around the house
( ) drive a red car very fast in the city
( ) pick up a friend to go to school
( ) park the car perfectly

How to prepare your own video activity: Grammar Goal: Simple Present Tense - Affirmative and Negative Statements
• Select a scene in which the characters’ routines are evident
• Identify the characters in the segment
• List some of the activities the characters perform in the segment
• Students write the name of the characters who perform such activities
• Students write complete sentences, using the simple present tense

I must admit that this is the weakest Shyamalan's movie, in my opinion, but this scene is just perfect to practice included / embedded questions.

Read the following questions and decide who asked them
in the segment you will watch. Write ( S ) if Story asked
it, and ( C ) if Cleveland did it.

1) ( ) Did you pull me out?

2) ( ) Where are you from?

3) ( ) Is that an apartment?

4)( ) Do you feel an awakening?

5)( ) Why am I not stuttering?

6)( ) Where did you learn that?

7)( ) Why are you scared?

8)( ) Are you okay?

Now rewrite the sentences above, asking the same questions politely by saying Do you know… ? or Can you tell me… ?

EX: 1) Can you tell me if you pulled me out?

2) Can you tell me where you are from? -->

Answer Key:

A.
1. S 2 C 3 C 4S 5C 6C 7C 8C 9C

B. Answers may vary:

3. do you know if it is an apartment
4. Can you tell me if you feel an awakening?
5. I'd like to know why I'm not stuttering
6. Can you tell me where you learned that?
7. Do you mind telling me why you are scared?
8. Can you tell me if you are okay?

How to prepare your own video activity:

• Select a scene in which several questions are asked

• Choose questions whose verb tenses suit your class

• Ask the students to identify the characters who said them in the segment.

• Ask the students to rewrite the questions politely, using indirect questions.

Sep 1, 2008

This movie has a great message and the story is touching. My opinion is that the film is too down in the mouth, but the last 5 minutes are uplifting. Not my cup of tea, but most people really enjoyed it. The scene, though, is perfect for practicing the contrast between the simple past and the past continuous tenses.

Watch the movie segment and fill in the blanks with the simple past or the past continuous form of the verbs in parentheses.

1) Chris _________________ (cook) burgers for breakfast when his landlord ________________ (knock) on his door.

2) The police ______________ (arrest) Chris when he ________________ (paint) the house.

3) Chris _______________ (pay) some parking tickets when the officer __________ (tell) him he was supposed to spend the night in jail.

• Select a scene in which the characters’ actions are interrupted during the segment.
• Prepare an exercise in which the students have to identify when to use the target structures.
• Make sure the students know when to use both verb tenses before they actually do the exercise.

e) When he ____________ (make) a reservation at the hotel he ________________ (see) the images of the parking lot in the surveillance room.

Answer Key:

A.

I. 1,2
II. 2,1
III. 1,2
IV. 2,1

B.

1. drove / had taken
2. crouched / had given
3. had given / crashed
4. had thrown / entered
5. made / had seen

How to prepare your own video activity:

Grammar Goal: Simple Past x Past Perfect
• Select a scene in which there is a sequence of events.
• Prepare an exercise in which the students have to decide which action took place first.
• Students write 1 or 2 in the exercise parentheses, according to the order of the events in the segment
• Students fill in the blanks of the exercise with either the simple past or the past perfect form of the verbs in parentheses.

This is an average movie with several sequels that did not meet my expectations. Because this scene is full of wrong choices and regrets, I used it to practice the use of past modals expressing regrets. Check out your audience first. Too sensitive students may not like it.

Urban Legend: (Total 4’28)
Check only the items in which the main character's decisions were wrong.

1) The girl traveled alone by car on a stormy day. ( )

2) She filled up the gas tank at a desolate gas station. ( )

3) She used a credit card to pay for the gas. ( )

4) She left the car to go to the gas station store. ( )

5) She didn’t listen to what the gas station worker had to say. ( )

6) She used pepper spray to get rid of the gas station worker. ( )

7) She left the gas station in a hurry. ( )

8) She didn’t check the backseat. ( )

Now rewrite the sentences expressing regrets.

Ex:

1 -The girl shouldn’t have traveled alone by car on such a rainy day.

2 - She shouldn’t have filled up the gas tank at a desolate gas station.

.

How to prepare your own video activity:

.
• Choose a movie segment in which the characters do not act properly or regret their actions

This is a great movie, but a bit farfetched. If you like police stories, you will love it. I used the crime scene to practice the simple past tense.
Witness – Imagine you are the witness to a crime. Fill in the
blanks of the following exercise with past tense of the verbs in
parentheses. Use affirmative or negative sentences, depending
on the information presented in the movie segment.

1) Ted’s wife, Sally, _______________ home (drive).

2) She _________________ the front door (unlock).

3) She ________________ her jacket (take off).

4) She _______________ her husband was in the house (notice).

5) They _______________ each other (hug).

6) They _______________ each other (kiss).

7) Ted _______________ his wife in the head (shoot).

8) Gardeners _______________ a gunshot (hear).

9) Ted__________________ the bullet cases on the floor. (pick up).

10) One of the gardeners _______________ on the door (knock).

11) Ted _________________ the door for the gardener (open).

12) Ted ________________ the windows a few times (shoot).

13) Ted _______________ his wife (drag).

14) He _________________ his shirt (take off).

15) He ___________________ his shirt (burn).

16) He __________________ his face (wash).

17) He _________________ the police (call).

18) The gardener _________________ Ted clean the house (help).

Now pretend you are a witness. Report all the steps you have seen to an officer, your partner.
Make sure you use the following expressions:

First / Second / Then / After that / Later /NextHow to prepare your own video activity:

Grammar Goal: Simple Past
• Choose a segment in which a crime takes place.
• Prepare an exercise sheet with the steps the outlaw took to commit the crime.
• Leave blanks for students to complete with the simple past of the verbs in parentheses
• Ask students to report the crime they saw to a police officer.
• You may show the scene twice, if necessary.

I just love this movie, which was not such a great blockbuster. The story is clever and I was intrigued by the plot throughout the movie. Although a bit shocking, the scene is perfect to speculate about what happened to the characters. So I used it to practice the use of past modals for speculation.

Watch the video segment and guess what might have happened
to the characters. Check the options you believe are possible
explanations for the characters’ current situation.

( ) Jen took too many tranquilizers in the previous night.

( ) Her daughter had a domestic accident.

( ) Jen hurt her daughter.

( ) Jen’s daughter hurt herself.

( ) Jen’s husband, Jim, didn’t die.

( ) Jim died in a car accident.

( ) Jen hit her head on the floor and can’t remember anything.

( ) One of the children was attacked by a mad dog.

Now rewrite these sentences using past modal verbs to express
probability/ possibility/ impossibility.

Ex:

1 - Jen might have taken too many tranquilizers in the previous night.

2 - Her daughter might have had a domestic accident.

.

How to prepare your own video activity:

Grammar Goal: Past Modals – Speculation/ Impossibility

• Select a segment in which the viewer cannot predict what happened before the scene actually takes place.
• Prepare an exercise with several possible (or impossible) explanations for the puzzle.
• Ask students to rewrite the same sentences, using the grammar point – Might/ Could/ Can’t/ Must + have + past participle.

This is a great movie with an interesting idea about cloning. Because this scene shows what the clones are allowed (or not) to do, I sused it to practice modals.

Watch the movie segment and decide what the characters are (not)
allowed to do and what they have/don’t have to do. Fill in the blanks
with can /can’t /have (has) to or don’t (doesn’t) have to.

1) Those people _____________ walk around the building.

2) They _________________ leave the building.

3) They __________________ wear identification bracelets.

4) They _______________ wear bright colored suits.

5) They _______________ work out together.

6) They __________________ swim in the pool.

7) They ___________________ wear swimsuits.

8) Monitors _________________ wear black clothes.

9) They _______________ sunbathe in tanning booths.

10) They __________________ wait in lines to have breakfast in the cafeteria.

11) They ___________________ to write their names before entering the cafeteria.

12) Lincoln Six Echo _______________ eat bacon.

13) Lincoln Six Echo ________________ pay for his food.

14) Jordan Two Delta __________________ stay too close to Lincoln Six Echo.

15) They _________________ have classes at the same time.

16) The students _________________ read books out loud together.

Now write sentences saying what you can (not)/ have to / don’t have to in your English class.

Ex:
I don’t have to speak all the time.

I can help my friends

I can’t speak Portuguese in class.

How to prepare your own video activity:Grammar Goal: Can/ Can’t (permission/prohibition), have to (obligation/ don’t/doesn’t have to (not necessary).
• Select a segment in which the characters are supposed to perform several tasks.
• Ask students to observe what the characters have to do.
• Prepare a worksheet for students to fill in the blanks with the correct modal verb.
• Check whether the sentences make sense.

This movie is for children and it somehow "explains" the Loch Ness monster's story. It's not a masterpiece, but it is good entertainment.

Watch the movie segment and complete the sentences with the
simple past tense of the verbs in parentheses. Write affirmative
or negative verb forms according to the information in the movie.

EX :

The kids caught (catch) two employees kissing each other in the kitchen.

1) The dog __________________ (chase) the water horse around the house.

2) The dog __________________ (hurt) the water horse.

3) The water horse accidentally _______________ (hit) an expensive vase.

4) The man _______________ (drop) a statue.

5) The carpet ___________________ (scare) the water horse.

6) The animals _________________ (break) several valuable items.

7) The dog ________________ (spill) soup on the guests.

8) The water horse __________________ (grab) a fish with its mouth.

9) The boys ____________________ (find) the water horse in the garden.

Now rewrite the sentences above in the passive voice.

EX:
Two employees were caught kissing each other in the kitchen.

How to prepare your own video activity:

Grammar Goal: Passive Voice
• Select a segment in which a lot of action takes place.
• Prepare an exercise with sentences in the active voice for the students to fill in the blanks with the correct verb form.
• Ask the students to rewrite the same sentences in the passive voice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fv-ws7ON5pI&feature=youtu.be
A peer of mine said that he had used a slides presentation with links to my passive voice activities. I was sent the link and came across this really cool and thorough class on passive voice. I'm glad Simon Friend used my blog for his video activities. His slides are effective, fun and constructive. Thanks Simon Friend for these really cool slides. Thanks for linking my site to it.

The TV series used to be one of my favorites when I was a teen, but the movie was disappointing. However, it was a huge blockbuster. Comparing the Angels is fun - and the scene is great!

Watch the video segment and choose the adjectives from the list below that best
describe the following characters and write them under the characters' pictures.

Adventurous FunnyShortBeautiful

AggressiveChubbyBrilliantUgly

CrazyElegantTallIntelligent

ClumsyStrongRidiculousHot

Natalie

Dylan

Alex

Now write sentences using the superlative form of the adjectives:Ex:

(Adventurous) – Alex is the most adventurous of all.
(Funny) – Dylan is the funniest of all.

How to prepare your own video activity:

Grammar Goal: Assessing Superlatives

- Select a scene in which you can compare several people
- Choose adjectives that describe the characters
- Prepare a chart for students to fill in with adjectives that describe the main characters
- Select the adjectives you want to assess
- The students write sentences using superlatives

- Select a scene in which several unexpected events will take place
- Pause the segment on several thrilling spots
- Tell the students to use their imagination to predict what might happen next
- Have them write at least 2 different versions for the continuation of the scene
- Repeat the process a few times
- Check whether the students are good guessers.

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Movie Segments for Warm-ups and Follow-ups

A little about myself

I'm a teacher at Casa Thomas Jefferson, Brasilia, Brazil. I'm a Branch Coordinator and Teacher Trainer as well. I really like movies and seeing them with "different" eyes, trying to see how I can use them in my classroom. Recently, I have dedicated my ideas to grammar activities with movie segments because, apparently, teachers use movies for many purposes, but grammar. Working with movie segments fosters students' production and interest. I truly believe that grammar exercises should be attractive. I have just developed a new blog for movie segments to enhance topic based classes, focusing on conversation, listening comprehension and vocabulary acquisition. If you have suggestions for the blogs and the activities, just say it!